Traditional “finger ladders” include a vertical supporting frame for mounting on a vertical surface or wall and a number of rungs mounted to, or integral with, the support frame. These finger ladders, which are often made of wood, are used typically for rehabilitation of injuries to the upper extremities or for improvement of motor skills of persons with developmental challenges. When a user manipulates his second and third fingers up and down the rungs of the ladder, he increases his range of shoulder motion and simultaneously improves his manual dexterity and mental processing.
Most finger ladders have a simple construction, and users thereof have no incentive to complete their repetitions. In one commercially available product, the rungs of the ladder have a U-shape, and a single rung is colored differently at certain intervals. For instance, each sixth rung is red while the surrounding rungs are black. While useful in helping a user monitor his progress up the ladder, such indicia hardly motivates the user to continue his efforts.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,037,244 to Svihra et al. describes a more complex therapeutic arm exercise device, in which a finger ladder for accomplishing finger exercises is positioned alongside a slidable weight that is mounted on an elongated track. A user grasps a handle on the weight and slides the weight along the track. Separately, the user may manipulate his fingers up the rungs of the finger ladder for fine motor exercise. The device includes an audio annunciator for the slidable weight portion, but provides no similar encouragement for users of the finger ladder.
What is needed in the art is an interactive finger ladder, in which visual or audio cues stimulate a user to complete a progressive cycle of exercises up and down the rungs of the ladder. What is further needed is an interactive finger ladder having an integrated video display surface for providing such cues. Finally, it would also be desirable to use the visual or audio cues to promote learning or to provide entertainment, such that a child would be further motivated to complete the progressive cycle of exercises.